


Changing Seasons

by LetoaSai



Series: StrifeHart Fluff [55]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Family Fluff, Kids growing up, M/M, Playing, Seven Kids, Snow games, Winter, different seasons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 05:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29994678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetoaSai/pseuds/LetoaSai
Summary: Cloud and Leon never imagined they'd have seven kids. Now they'd get the chance to watch them grow, every season different from the last.
Relationships: Cloud/Leon (Kingdom Hearts), Leon (Kingdom Hearts)/Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife
Series: StrifeHart Fluff [55]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1108581
Comments: 25
Kudos: 34





	Changing Seasons

**Winter**

Leon didn’t like winter. He didn’t particularly hate it either but he didn’t like it. It was there, and was nice, and it was inconvenient. All at the same time. Cold was as fun as it was irritating but perhaps it had gotten more bearable since having children. 

The snow storm had delighted them to their bones. All seven of them had been glued to the windows the previous night, watching every inch fall. It had already been dark and they weren't allowed to go and play but that didn’t stop them from planning their games. The following morning had been an expected snow day after six inches had fallen and the kids were up bright and early, making themselves cereal for breakfast to hasten their ability to go outside. 

No matter how quiet they’d attempted to be, seven kids made a lot of noise. Leon had woken to arguing over how many socks they should wear, and a steaming cup of coffee. 

His husband loved him… 

With Cloud taking care of the kitchen-and taking a quiet moment for himself with the excuse of cleaning-Leon bundled up. Hat, scarf, gloves. He did not like the cold… 

He could hear the excited screaming before even opening the door and the bright gleam of the sun against snow had him shoving his sunglasses on. 

“Everyone good?” He asked Sora who was sitting on the steps, huddling in his jacket with the brightest smile. 

Sora was always the first one to try something new. The first one to dive into fun. He’d no doubt been the first one awake for their snow adventure, but snow always lost it’s fun quickly when the child remembered it was cold. 

Sora preferred the beach… 

“Yep!” Sora smiled brightly, recharging in his own body heat before he threw himself out into the snow again. 

Each of the kids were building something in the snow. Snowmen, snow angels; Riku was making a snow maze the same way they did in the sand during the summer. 

Reiku and Vanitas were throwing a ball for Shadow who seemed to be having just as much fun in the snow as the children were. Reiku was wearing one of Cloud’s motorcycle masks that left only his eyes visible. 

Leon didn’t want any of his kids to get sick but he actively worried about Reiku’s immune system. As it was, the child loved that he got to wear something of Cloud’s.

Xion was stomping, making footprints in the snow in her new -used - hand me down boots she’d gotten from Kairi. She’d hated them the night before because they were pink but she was loving them now. Evidently warm toes overruled color preferences. 

Ventus and Roxas were throwing snowballs at each other, in between making a stockpile of them that would no doubt be their real fodder for when the snowball war started for real. 

“Glad to hear it.” Leon said, dropping to sit on the porch steps beside Sora. He drew the child closer to share his warmth. “We’ll have hot chocolate when we come in. Everyone has to make sure they dry off good.” 

“Ooh, hot chocolate.” Sora muttered, already thinking about how delicious it was going to be if his expression was anything to go off of but he tilted his head back to look at Leon. “Are we going to Kairi’s today?” 

“Maybe later today. If not, tomorrow.” Squall nodded. “When the roads have been cleared better.” 

Lightning had a yard a similar size to their own but the differences was, she had a hill that was perfect for sledding. 

“Yay!” Sora cheered. 

“Can we make sweet snow?!” Riku called from the middle of his maze. 

“If we don’t do it at Lightning’s, we’ll do it here.” Leon said, getting an excited motion from Riku that Sora copied instantly. 

Xion came closer, purposely kicking at the snow with every step. “What’s sweet snow?” 

Sora sat up straighter and grinned. “It’s like ice cream but you make it out of snow.” 

She blinked and pointed at the ground. “Snow? Like this snow?” 

“Well, clean snow.” Riku told her. “Snow we haven’t been walking on or playing with. 

“And it’s good?” Xion asked. 

“Yeah, it’s super good.” Sora said. “Lea and Kairi taught us how to make it. Their grandma showed them. It’s really good.”

Xion was all smiles. “I wanna try it.” 

Leon chuckled. “Like i said, if we don’t make it over Lightning’s, we’ll make it here.” He looked up when Ventus yelped. He’d falled back in a mound of snow. 

“Roxas!” He pouted, pulling his glasses off that were now covered in snow. 

“I thought you’d duck!” Roxas said defensively. 

“I wasn’t looking.” Ventus grumbled, trying to clean his glasses but he was too wet to make any headway. 

“Bring `em here.” Leon called. “I’m dry.” 

Ventus threw Roxas a warning look. “Don’t touch my snowballs.” 

“Fine, fine.” Roxas said, relaxing now that he wasn’t getting immediately called out and getting in trouble. Ventus took careful steps back to the porch, making sure he didn’t step on any of the snow angels along the way. It was a little more difficult with his glasses off but his sight wasn’t really that bad.

He held them out when he was close enough and Squall took them, using this scarf to dry them off without making more of a mess. “Thanks dad.” 

“Welcome.” Leon said, smiling when Vanitas appeared a few seconds later with his own pair in hand. 

“Please?” Vanitas offered. 

“Yeah, sure.” Leon said, drying off his glasses the same way. Maybe they’d start thinking about contacts in the near future. 

“C’mon, Sora.” Riku called again. “You gotta solve the maze.” 

“You’re done!?” Sora bounced off the stairs and headed back into the yard with a second wind under him. Xion was close behind him.

Leon smiled faintly, briefly wondering how empty things would have felt had they only adopted Riku. They wouldn't have loved him any less but had he been an only child things would have been vastly different. He loved his siblings and Leon loved his house fill with kids. A hectic life wasn’t what he wanted, but life without the kids was unimaginable now. 

“Thanks.” Vanitas said when Squall handed him his glasses back. “So, Roxas said we were gonna go sledding?” 

“If the plows clear the road enough for us to drive safely, yes.” Leon said. 

Vanitas tugged his hat down over his ears. “But we don’t have a sled.” 

Leon’s lips twitched and he once remembered saying the same thing to Cloud. Cloud had just laughed… 

“Trash bags.” Leon answered, continuing when Vanitas just blinked in confusion. “They’re slippy. I promise, it’ll send you flying down the hill just as good as any sled.” 

“Really?” Ventus tilted his head. “How’d you figure that out?” 

“I didn’t. It’s how papa went sledding when he was a kid. He says it was good enough for him, it’s good enough for the rest of you.” 

Roxas wandered closer, a snowball still in his hand. “It’s lots of fun. Sometimes two or three of us can fit on the same trash bag and we go all the way to the bottom. It’s walking back up to the top that’s not fun.”

Vanitas’ eyes were practically glittering and Ventus’ excitement nearly matched his. “And we’re doing this soon?” 

“Soon.” Leon agreed, mentally trying to recall how long they’d been outside so he could decide when he’d need to round them up to go in for a while. 

It would be a fight until warm drinks and food were provided. Maybe they’d make a fire that evening and the kids could focus on that for a while. 

The boys wandered off, Vanitas suddenly realizing how far behind he was going to be in the snowball war as he quickly started preparing his own ammo. With hardly a thought, Leon slid his phone out of his pocket to take several pictures to text to Cid, Vincent, and Laguna. They’d never stop feeling joy at seeing the kids playing. 

A few might even make it back to his friends in Balamb Garden. All of whom, could still hardly believe he wound up with so many kids. 

“Shadow, no! Sit!” Riku was scolding the dog who was trampling on his maze and Reiku tried to pull him back.

“Sorry Riku!” Reiku apologized, holding Shadow but her harness. Leon watched as Riku inhaled and let it out. Digging deep for patience. 

“It’s okay.” Riku muttered. “I can fix it.” 

Leon smiled faintly. “Rei, why don’t you let Shadow sit with me for a bit and you can play?” The poor kid was so bundled up that he had to completely turn to face Leon to respond. 

“Kay!” He walked Shadow to Leon and rubbed her ears for good measure. “She likes snow.” 

Leon chuckled. “What about you? Do you like snow. I seem to recall snow being on your adventure bucket list.” 

Even with the full face mask on, Leon could tell how hard he was grinning. “I do! I really really do! It’s...it’s so much colder than I imagined but just as much fun.” He wiggled, bashful. “I’m really glad i got to play in it.” 

“It won’t be the last time.” Leon promised. Even if he had to plan ridiculous winter trips to snowy places, the kids would get to make more winter memories. 

The door clicked open and shut again as Cloud stepped out, with little travel sized spray bottles grasped in his gloved hands. “Hey, everyone looks like they’re having fun.” 

“Mhm.” Leon hummed, gesturing to Shadow to lay beside him while Cloud dropped at his other side.

“What are those?” Rei asked, pointing to the bottles Cloud brought out with him. 

Cloud smiled faintly. “We’re gonna do some snow art.” 

“Snow art?” 

“Uh huh. Make a snowball.” Cloud said, watching as the child did just that. He held it out to Cloud who tilted one of the bottles to spray the snow with a green color. 

Reiku was laughing instantly, rolling the color along into the snow. “Green now! Riku, Xion look!” He ran back to the other kids who instantly wanted what he had. 

“Come and get `em.” Cloud said, holding out a bunch of bottles in various colors. 

“Cool!” Sora yelled, each kid rushing the porch to take a bottle. 

In a matter of minutes their front lawn was a sea of rainbow colors. The snowman and snow angels were decorated with tye dye and it made an already fun day that much more entertaining. 

“Where’d this come from?” Leon asked after a few minutes, taking more pictures. 

“Vincent did it for me and Denzel when we were kids. Gave us squirt guns.” Cloud smiled, likely at the memory. “We didn’t have squirt guns but we did have those bottles. Same thing.” 

Leon laughed softly and leaned against him. “You’re the fun dad, aren’t you?” 

Cloud chuckled and leaned back. “I think we’re both just cold dads today.” 

“Yeah.” Leon grunted. “Twenty more minutes and we’re all going back inside."

“Ten. It’s cold.” Cloud said as if that were his compromise. Leon grabbed his gloved hand and held it tightly. He tried to rub patterns on Cloud's hand like he usually did but it was hard with gloves on.

Snow days weren’t so bad really.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't even begin to tell you how many times i wrote Squall instead of Leon... 
> 
> Series Master List. In order. Mostly. 
> 
> Dreams Mended  
> Out of Order  
> A Winning Distraction (in the middle of Out of Order)  
> Quiet Midnight (in the middle of Out of Order)  
> Radiant Christmas (in the middle of Out of Order)  
> Successful Romance (in the middle of Out of Order)  
> First Dance  
> Bright Light  
> Until Monday  
> Repeat  
> Not enough treats  
> Wager  
> Calling Home (technically just before and just after Wager)  
> Renewals   
> Date Night  
> Sick Lions  
> Bad Memories  
> Not Perfect (could really fit in a few places, here is fine)  
> Patience  
> Long Weekends  
> Fever  
> Melee  
> Time will Tell  
> Rumble  
> Fortitude  
> A Day for Two  
> Summer Sun  
> Homemade  
> Moving on  
> Probably Haunted  
> The Night Before: by Kutikue  
> It’s only two more  
> Safeguard  
> Finding Sleep  
> Wishes  
> Lights out  
> Professional Aid  
> Hope: by Jokul_Nightfury_Frost  
> Match  
> Foresight  
> Surrounded by Kindness  
> Connected  
> Christmas Wisdom   
> On the Eve  
> Face Time  
> Errands   
> Facing Fears  
> Routine Interrupted   
> Before Our Time : by PrinceDestati   
> Well Adjusted   
> Free Advice   
> New Students  
> Stop Growing  
> Incoming proposal   
> Authentic Treats  
> At the Limit  
> Changing Seasons


End file.
